Upper body · Chest

Barbell bench press

How to bench press safely with a barbell: position on the bench, grip, bar path, common mistakes and alternatives for sensitive shoulders.

The bench press is the fundamental horizontal push and the best-known benchmark of upper-body strength. Lying on a flat bench, you lower the bar to your chest and press it back up. It lets you keep progressing for years, but it requires good shoulder positioning to avoid overloading the joint.

Muscles worked

The pectoralis major drives the press. The triceps straighten the elbows in the second half of the movement and the front delts assist throughout. The upper-back muscles stabilize the shoulder blades.

How to do it

1. Lie down with your eyes under the bar and your feet planted firmly on the floor.
2. Pull your shoulder blades together and down, as if tucking them into your back pockets. Keep a slight arch in your lower back with your butt on the bench.
3. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width, wrists straight over your elbows.
4. Unrack the bar and bring it over your shoulders.
5. Lower it under control to your lower chest, with your elbows about 45–60° from your torso, not flared out to the sides.
6. Press up and slightly back until your arms are straight, without slamming into lockout.

Common mistakes

• Elbows flared to 90°, which overloads the shoulder joint.
• Bouncing the bar off your chest to use momentum.
• Lifting your butt off the bench to move more weight.
• Wrists bent back, which suffer under heavy loads.
• Going heavy without a spotter or safety bars.

Variations and progression

The incline dumbbell press emphasizes the upper chest and lets each arm find its own path. The machine chest press is more stable and needs no spotter. Work in the 5–10 rep range and add weight in 5 lb steps.

Precautions

It loads the shoulder, elbow and wrist. If your shoulder bothers you, try a slightly narrower grip, dumbbells with a neutral grip or the chest press machine.

Alternatives with less joint load

They train the same muscle group. Highlighted joints are also loaded by the exercise on this page.

• Pec deck fly · Fly
  • Shoulder
• Cable crossover · Fly
  • Shoulder
• Machine chest press · Horizontal push
  • Shoulder
  • Elbow

If you have an injury, pain or a medical condition, check with a professional before doing this exercise.